"There is nothing so American as our national parks. The scenery and wildlife are native. The fundamental idea behind the parks is native. It is, in brief, that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us. The parks stand as the outward symbol of this great human principle." Franklin D. Roosevelt

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Bison Toss

I have had problems accessing the computer lately. Too many people, too little computer. The big news from Canyon Village is from this past Wednesday. A woman from Spain was on the pay phone outside. She had her back to the road and didn't realize that 2 bison were walking behind her. Before she knew it one of them came up behind her and tossed her into the air. She was taken to the hospital by ambulance but her injuries were minor. It is probably the same bison that hangs out by our dorm (right outside the back door). Walking at night a person needs to be careful or they could just possibly run into a bison. Dawn, the grocery lead, told me about witnessing some parents last year by Old Faithful trying to actually set their toddler on the back of a bison to take the childs picture. A ranger saw and threw an absolute fit. People can be very ignorant about how dangerous the animals here are.

I went with Carl last night on the north loop. We saw a grizzly on Dunraven Pass, a black bear just north of Tower and a coyote by Mammoth. He also showed me the den of a coyote with her pups, but they were nowhere to be seen. I'll keep an eye for them whenever I go by there now. Carl and I always have a great time when we get together. His daughter and her husband are coming today and it will be nice to meet them. Carl told me that he used to be a mathematician for the NOAA. Interesting man.

Today, for my lunch break, I decided to drive over to Artist Paintpots but the parking lot was so full there was no place to park. I did see a little coyote trotting along the roadside, though.

I worked in Confections yesterday. The bonus of working there is that I get tips, which is split amongst everyone who works that day. It's not a lot but it's always fun to get a little sack full of change the next morning. I'm in the Bull Pen today, where I work by the knife display and binoculars. I wish I knew more about binoculars but it seems that just being able to chat about the wildlife works with selling them for me.

Wildlife Viewings

Grizzly Bear: 31
Black Bear: 16
Moose: 2
Coyotes: 6
Wolves: 12